Car-coupling



W. H. SNOW. OAR COUPLING (No Model.)

Patented Dec. .6, 1892.

' attoznegp UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. SNOW, OF CAMPBELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,353, dated December 6, 1892.

Application filed June 11, 1892- Serial No. 436,314. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Snow, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Campbell county,Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to car-couplers, and

more particularly to that class of car-couplers which are termed automatic. The object of my invention is to provide a car-coupler which shall at all times be convenient for self-coupling. All parts necessary to its use must be fast in position, but free to act, so as to be at all times available for service. The coupling parts must automatically readjust themselves, so that the cars can be coupled without inspection. It must act as its own buifer. It must admit of coupling with other types of coupler. It must be effective in keeping the cars together when in use and not uncouple except at the will of the train-hands, and is arranged to be uncoupled from the sides, platform, or top of the car Without danger to the brakeman, and while having all these characteristics it must be strong, compact, and readily attached to the cars. t is with the object of supplying a coupler having all these characteristics that my invention consists in the various features of construction, arrangement, and mode of operation, hereinafter particularly pointed out.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, showing my improved coupler. Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view, of the clamp-jaw.

The coupler consists, as is usual, of a coupling-head A, connected to the coupling-bar B, and these parts are preferably made of steel, so as to be exceedingly strong and compact. The coupler is adapted to be attached to a car of any usual construction, and in the drawing Fig. 2 I have shown at C a portion of the frame of the car having a sill C, and the coupling-bar B is shown attached beneath the sill to the frame of the car, being supported by a suitable link or yoke c and passing through a transom or bar 0. The end of the coupling-bar B is reduced to some slots is forced a tapering key D bar is provided with a slot 1), and into these These slots or keyholes in the nut and coupler-bar are so arranged that the slot in the nut projects a little behind the slotin the bar, and the slot in the bar projects alittle in front of the slot or keyhole in the nut, so that when the key is driven into the slots or keyholes it bears against the front of the slot in the nut and the rear of the slot in the bar, thereby giving the nut the full strength of the key, and the key also acts as a nut-lock to prevent the nut becoming unscrewed. In this way I provide an exceedingly strong and safe means for attaching the coupler to the car, and at the same time it is simple and cheap of construction and not liable to get battered or otherwise injured, so that it cannot be readily removed.

The coupling-head is recessed to receive thebuffcr-head or knuckle, the clamp-jaw, and the locking-pin, and I have shown the bufferhead or knuckle E as mounted in the coupler-head by means of the pivot e, and it will be noticed on reference to the drawings that the pin is arranged to one side of the line passing through the center of the knuckle, and from this it will appear that anylolow or pressure upon the end of the buffer-head is inclined to press the buffer-head to the right, while the shank E of the knuckle is pressed against the wall of the body portion of the coupler-head. Connected to the shank of the knuckle is the spring E which tends to draw the buffer-head inward toward the center of the coupler, but allows it to move outward from the center when it is being coupled or uncoupled.

The buffer-head E is provided with a groove or channel a on its inner face, and which is tapered from its front end toward theinside, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3, and a pin E passes through the flanges or edges of the buffer-head and through the slot for the purpose of forming a coupling-link used with the ordinary couplers now generally employed, as it is one of the requirements that the improved automatic coupler shall be capable of being coupled with the old-fashioned coupling-link. The advantage of making this groove tapering is that the link of the oldfashioned coupler will be guided into proper position to receive the coupler-pin without the necessity of the train-hand standing between the cars, and when it is in position the pin may be forced in place, securing the link to the coupler-head.

The knuckle E is locked in position by the clamp-jaw F, and this is shown as pivoted to the coupler-head by a pin f and has a contour substantially as shown in Fig. 4, from which it will be'seen that the inner end or toe F is curved to conform to the outline of the recess a in the coupler-head and to bear against the shank E of the knuckle and hold it in position. The clamp-jaw is also provided with a recessed portion F and interposed between this portion and the frame of the coupler-head is a spring G, which normally tends to throw the clamp-jaw forward and outward. 1

Attached to the clamp-jaw at the rear side is a beveled portion F which serves to lock the jaw in position by means of the lockingpawl H, the bevel side of the projection being arranged to pass under the locking-pin and raise it up, so that it is automatically locked when the cars are being coupled, the pin being provided with an offset h for that purpose. The outer portion F of the clampjaw is extended to either side of the body of the clamp-jaw and conforms to the shape of the coupler-head at this portion, and when the jaw is open this portion forms a guide for the complementary knuckle E, and when the coupler is locked it forms a retaining-block to prevent the accidental uncoupling of the knuckles while at the same time it permits the knuckles to move sufficiently to allow the cars to pass freely around curves without danger of uncoupling.

The clamp-jaw may be provided with a handle f by which it can be readily moved, if

desired, without the necessity of the hands of the operator being exposed to the buffingfaces, where they would be liable to injury.

The coupling-pin H is preferably provided with an enlarged head H, having an opening it, and fits in a recess or slot in the couplinghead, and, as before stated, is provided with an offset h, by means of which it may be lifted automatically by the clamp-jaw, and as this pawl is not to be removed from the coupling -head I provide some sort of locking means, as the pin H passingthrough its lower end at a sufficient distance below the coupling-head to allow it to move freely up The coupling pawl or pin H is arranged to,

be operated from the outside of the car or the top of the car or the platform, as the case may be, and to provide for this operation Imount on some convenient portion of the car, as the sill C, a crank-shaft J, it being shown as supported in a bracket K and having an arm L extending outward over the pawl and connected thereto in any suitable manner, as by the links M, and the crank-shaft is provided with suitable handles N, extending to the outside of the car, by means of which it may be operated,or a suitable rope or chain is extended to the top of the car, so that under all circumstances the pawl may be lifted without the necessity of thetrainman passing between the cars being coupled.

Each coupler at each end of the car is the exact complement of the other, and so I have simply described a single one, showing one in full lines and the other in section in order .that the construction can be readily understood.

It will be seen that in order to uncouple the cars each pawl of each coupler has to be lifted separately by the trainman, as the knuckles are of such shape and configuration and so held in position that they will not become uncoupled unless both move outward at the same time, and in this way I prevent all danger of the cars becoming accidentally uncoupled and insure the proper setting of the coupler, so that it is ready to be automatically coupled at any time after it is uncoupled.

The automatic coupling operation will be understood from the drawings, the parts begether the knuckles E impinge on each other,

forcing each outward on the stress of the spring E until the coupling-faces pass each other, when they spring together and the clamp-jaw is forced inward, the incline projection F 3 automatically raising the lockingpawl H and compressing the spring G until the pawl falls behind the projection F thus securely locking the clamp-pawl in position, and the toe F of the clamp-jaw bears on the shank E of thevknuckle and prevents its being forced outward, so that it can be accidentally uncoupled. It will be seen that the end or toe of the clamp-jaw fits as sort of a wedge between the front end of one knuckle and the shank of the other and securely holds them in position, at the same time allowing them to move suflicient to compensate for passing around curves.

Such being the preferred construction of my 1 the preferred construction I do not limit myself to the exact details set forth, as they may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with the recessed coupler-head,of a knuckle pivotally mounted therein, the knuckle having a shank extending in the recessed head, and a spring connected to the shank and extending laterally through an opening in the side of the coupler-head, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the coupler-head, of the knuckle pivotally mounted therein,having a tapering groove and a coupling-pin extending through the kn uckle and through the groove, substantially as described.

3. The combinatiomwith the coupler-head, of the clamping-jaw mounted therein, having a curved toe-piece, an extended guide portion, a recessed portion, and an inclined locking projection, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the coupler-head, of the knuckle pivotally mounted therein, having a shank extended into the coupler-head, a clamp-j aw having an extended portion forming a guide, a locking-toe, and an inclined projection and a locking-pawl passing through the coupler-head and arranged to engage the locking projection, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the coupler-head, of the knuckle pivotally mounted therein and having a shank extending into the couplerhead, a spring connected to the shank, a clamp-j aw also pivotally mounted in the coupler-head, a spring for throwing the clamp-jaw outward, and a locking-pawl for holding the clamp-j aw in its locked position, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the recessed coupler-head,of a knuckle pivotally mounted therein and having a shank, a spring connected to the shank, a locking-pawl also mounted in the coupler-head, having an extended guide portion, a curved toe portion, and an inclined locking projection, a spring bearing against said locking-jaw, a gravity locking-pawl engaging the clamp-jaw, and means connected with the gravity-pawl for raising it outside of the car limits, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the coupler-head, of the knuckle, clamp-jaw, and the gravity locking-pawl,the pawl having an ofiset h and securing device H and means for raising the gravity-pawl from the outside limits of the car, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. SNOW.

Witnesses:

I. W. IvEY, WM. E. GRAVES. 

